The Exchange
by Aerika S
Summary: A conversation between Laguna and Quistis which focuses on both their serious and humorous sides. Flirtatious dialogue, but not a romance.
1. Laguna & Quistis Part I

The Exchange  
By Aerika S.  
  
Author's Note - Quistis and Laguna were easily my favorite characters of the game so I wanted to write a short piece in which the two met and discussed a few things. I wanted to bring out the serious side of Laguna and the droll sense of humor of Quistis (Believe me, she does have one. Please refer to her "good luck" comment to Seifer at the beginning of the game). Anyway, I also like to experiment when I write (i.e. this might be a little weird) and since I like writing dialogue the most, I thought to hell with it, I'm just going to write a straight conversation. Enjoy (or try to).  
  
  
"President Loire, good evening. I hope you're enjoying the festivities."  
  
"Quistis Trepe, right? Please, it's just Laguna. And, uh, yeah, nice party. I'm glad Rinoa talked me into coming."  
  
"Well, she wanted to turn eighteen in style. She spent weeks planning this event. Her father was thrilled when she asked to have it here at his mansion. They haven't always gotten along exactly and it was a nice step towards reconciliation." "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be gossiping."  
  
"No, don't worry. I'm not surprised really. Any daughter's of Julia's is bound to have a spirit that might clash with a military man."  
  
"Oh, that's right. You and Rinoa's mother were...I mean, you knew her...er, you were..."  
  
"Don't stammer on my account. Just because things didn't work out for me and Julia doesn't mean I don't like being reminded of our time together. Those were good times. It's important to remember."  
  
"I know what you mean. Remembering my own childhood at the orphanage with Squall and the others..." "I'm sorry, I'm bringing up all sorts of awkward topics, aren't I?"  
  
"I can tolerate the mention of my son. I don't think he shares the sentiment though."   
  
"I know you've tried talking to him. I gather it hasn't gone well?"  
  
"Well, I talked while he stared at me blankly. I think he said 'whatever' more than he blinked."  
  
"That's how Squall talks to everyone. I use the word 'talk' liberally, of course."  
  
"Hmm, good to know. There's hope yet. Especially since Rinoa seems to have taken up the cause."  
  
"Inviting you to her birthday party was a bit obvious. Then again, maybe you and Squall could bond over cake and ice cream."  
  
"That would have to be damn good cake. You sound as bad as Ellone. She's offered to intervene on my behalf too. I told her this is one thing I should do on my own."  
  
"Ellone does have a good bit of influence with Squall."  
  
"She's already done more than she had to. Sending you all on those trips down my memory lane at least let him get to know Raine a little."  
  
"That certainly was an interesting experience."  
  
"So who were you, Ward or Kiros?"  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Who were you, Ward or Kiros? I'm not asking for the 'Quistis Trepe, My Past Life as a Man' story, I'm just curious."  
  
"I, uh...never really, uh...thought of it that way."  
  
"Sorry, I guess I'm being the awkward one now. So...nice weather we're having."  
  
"Delightful."  
  
"You can cease being horrified now, I'll never mention the Ward/Kiros thing ever again."  
  
"But you seem so amused by it."  
  
"It's my nature. I like to find the humor in all situations. It keeps me from being all moody and depressed."  
  
"Squall takes after Raine then?"  
  
"Ha! Seems you have a sense of humor in there too."  
  
"Please don't let my friends know. I do have a reputation to maintain."  
  
"Yes, I can see why you don't want anyone to know how charming you are."  
  
"Charming?" "Hmm, well...." "Oh, look! There's Selphie! I should really go over and say hello."  
  
"Ah, yes, That Tilmitt Girl."  
  
"You don't like Selphie?"  
  
"No, it's not that. It's just that she can be a bit..."  
  
"Kinetic?"  
  
"Scary." "When we first met she kept talking about her web site and how much she loved reading about me in Timber Maniacs. It was the first time I liked having the Presidential guard around."  
  
"Selphie's harmless. Although every now and then, I catch her wandering around as if in a trance muttering about Sir Laguna and the magnitude of his dreaminess."  
  
"Dreamy?" "Hmm, well..." "Oh, look! There's someone I happen to know! I should run off now so as to avoid having to take a compliment."  
  
"Very funny."  
  
"Hey, you picked on me first."  
  
"Hey, I was dead serious about that Selphie thing."  
  
"Right. That's why she's draped herself over Mr. Cowboy there."  
  
"A lot of women drape themselves over Irvine."  
  
"Is it the hat? It's the hat, isn't it?"  
  
"I wouldn't even claim to know."  
  
"No, you don't strike me as the draping type. Well, at least she's got a new target."  
  
"It bothers you to have the admiration of a young woman?"  
  
"Tell me, Quistis. Have any of the Trepies ever gotten a little too...I don't know...pathologically obsessive?"  
  
"How do you know about the Trepies?"  
  
"Oh, I went to one of their conventions once. They were selling collector plates with your likeness on them and people who had known you were signing autographs for a nominal fee."  
  
"You find yourself quite amusing, don't you?"  
  
"I see a hint of bemusement behind that stern expression of yours."  
  
"And you thought Selphie was delusional."  
  
"At least I've dealt with my number one fan. Come on, tell me about the Trepies. Anyone ever send you a chocobo heart in a box with a note proclaiming their undying love?"  
  
"That's rather morbid, and no, nothing of the sort. Look, it's just a silly name a few of my students came up with. I'm the same age or only a few years older than they are, but I'm already a member of SeeD and an instructor. That's a source of inspiration for them."  
  
"You just see yourself as a role model."  
  
"Not to sound egotistical or anything..."  
  
"No, just clueless."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Quistis, you don't by any chance own a mirror or happen to pass by reflective surfaces on occasion?"  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Think about it. What's the gender ratio for the Trepies?"  
  
"Statistically speaking, the are more males at Balamb Garden than females. The Trepies just reflect that."  
  
"Oh, come on. An attractive young woman...with a whip..."  
  
"PRESIDENT LOIRE!!!"  
  
"Authoritative attitude..."  
  
"GOODNIGHT, PRESIDENT LOIRE."  
  
"Look, I'm sorry. Please don't go all Fujin on me. But it's the truth."  
  
"..."  
  
"Um, you don't need to channel Squall either."  
  
"I'm sorry. It's just that it's important for me to be taken seriously. I don't like being mocked."  
  
"I wasn't mocking you." "I can tell you're someone who likes to be in control. And not just of the situation but yourself. You don't see yourself that way so you get unnerved when other people do."  
  
"Really, that much from such a brief conversation."  
  
"I'm intuitive. It's one of the reasons why I'm so popular in Esthar."  
  
"And the Presidential estate...that's a source of dislike with the people?"  
  
"I'm more than my mansion. I may act like a flake...okay, I see that look...I may be a flake, but I can get my crap together when I have to. Adel didn't just defeat herself you know."  
  
"I'm glad you have such a healthy opinion of yourself."  
  
"You had to have been Kiros. I'd recognize those deprecating comments anywhere."  
  
"I thought you weren't going to mention that again."  
  
"Fine. Divert my attention. What does Quistis Trepe think of Quistis Trepe."  
  
"Well, I've always seen myself as a leader, someone who takes care of herself and everybody else. I'm intelligent, strong and certainly not some ditzy blonde who's only valued for her looks."  
  
"Hmm, the old stereotype of woman as either mother or whore."  
  
"Gods, I hope those aren't my only options."  
  
"I said it was a stereotype. You are anything but stereotypical."  
  
"Yes, well...thank you."  
  
"No problem. And I won't even mention how gracefully you took the compliment."  
  
"Good, you're being sarcastic. That I can deal with."  
  
"It's bothers you to have the admiration of a dirty old man?"  
  
"I think I have a problem with the admiration of males period. I'm so bound and determined to be the perfect SeeD, I usually avoid those things altogether. Huh, looks like I'm buying into the stereotype myself."  
  
"Surely not."  
  
"You know, maybe that's why I had that stupid crush on Squall. I could say that I was interested in someone, but since that someone was so completely oblivious to the whole thing, I didn't actually have any risk of dealing with a real relationship."  
  
"You had a thing for Squall?"  
  
"I just made an important self-revelation and that's your response?"  
  
"Oh, right. I apologize, enlightened one. Still, you and Squall. Squall and you?"  
  
"Okay, you have the right to be incredulous. Especially considering when I tried to open up to Squall, he told me to go talk to a wall."  
  
"So the blank stares I get really aren't that bad."  
  
"I told you."  
  
"I think I shall have to listen to you much more in the future."  
  
"Yes, well..."  
  
"Continue."  
  
"This isn't like me at all. I don't usually talk to men I barely know and pour my guts out. You must think I'm awfully silly."  
  
"I'm shocked. Everything in our conversation indicated you were a free wheeling wild child." "I'm kidding, Quistis. This has proven to be one of the most intriguing conversations I've had in quite some time."  
  
"Didn't you just tell me you've been talking to Squall?"  
  
"Touché. You know, I really don't know where his personality comes from. He definitely has Raine's eyes though."  
  
"You still miss her."  
  
"Always. But I'd love to tell you all about her."  
  
"By all means, Laguna, continue..."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Laguna & Quistis Part II

The Exchange  
Part II  
By Aerika S.  
  
  
"It looks awfully crowded in there. Maybe we should have stayed at Rinoa's party."  
  
"Please, I'm the president of Esthar. I can get a table in a busy restaurant."  
  
"Yes, Esthar - a secluded city-state that has deliberately eschewed international affairs for the past several decades and thus remains unknown to most of the world's populous."  
  
"One - that's changing. Two - I have a way with people."  
  
"So you've told me."  
  
"Just wait. And watch."  
  
...  
  
"There, Quistis, a table for two. Just follow the nice waiter."  
  
"That was easy."  
  
"Must I repeat myself? A way...with people...how I seem to have one?"  
  
"And the hundred gil you palmed him?"  
  
"That would be where being president of Esthar comes in. I'm rich."  
  
"Aren't you just a complete package."  
  
"Why? Are you shopping?"  
  
"Ahem. So, anyway...quite an impressive wine list they have here."  
  
"Sorry about the shopping bit. It can be a little hard to tell with you when it's okay to ask personal questions."   
  
"That was more an inappropriate remark than a question. Tell me, President Loire, do you always hit on women over half you age?"  
  
"La-GOO-na. Come on, I've heard you say once already."  
  
"All right. Tell me, La-GOON-a, do you always hit on women over half your age?"  
  
"That would have been rather problematic when I was eighteen."  
  
"You can be so frustrating, you know."  
  
"Is that why you're laughing? It could be worse; I haven't always been this suave with women."  
  
"Dear gods, you consider this suave?"  
  
"Like I said, it's been a lot worse than this."  
  
"Yes, Selphie mentioned something about getting leg cramps when you first went to talk to Julia."  
  
"Ellone showed you THAT?"  
  
"No, I wasn't there for that one. It seems like I'm catching payback for that now though."  
"I remember how it was with Raine. We'd just stand there 'umming' and 'ahhing' between in-depth discussions of the weather and Winhill gossip. Kiros would be off to the side shaking his head in disgust while Ellone would have this big smile on her face. It was all pretty damn pathetic."  
  
"You were friends first, right? It can be hard to make that transition."  
  
"Well, it started out as dedicated nurse and really annoying patient. I've always had kind of this wanderlust and staying in bed for months at a time was driving me insane. She was so patient though. No matter how much I complained, no matter how many times a tried to get up, she'd stuff me back into bed and read me the newspaper, put on some music, or even just sit there and tell me about her day - whatever it took to calm me down. I was such a pain in the ass. To this day, I don't know how she put up with me. But that's just how Raine was."  
  
"She sounds like a very compassionate woman."  
  
"Yeah, and you should have seen her with Ellone. She was like a mother, big sister and best friend all rolled into one. Ellone used to tease her about the two of us and Raine would get all flushed and embarrassed. The one time she caught me listening in on them, Raine's face got so red, Ellone thought she was going to be sick. I was kinda worried myself."  
  
"Serves you right for eavesdropping."  
  
"Just part of the whole middle school vibe we had. I mean I had served in the army and jumped off a giant cliff and she had tended to every little broken bone in my body and we were still too scared and shy to say anything to each other."  
  
"Maybe you should have had Kiros pass her a note."  
  
"You kid, but I did actually write her a letter. It was probably the most inarticulate thing ever put to paper. I fancy myself a bit of a writer but all I could do is write some vague platitudes like 'you mean a lot to me' and 'I care about you'. As I said, pathetic."  
  
"Look, I know you and Julia Heartilly had a...thing, and excuse me if I'm being presumptuous, but do you think the awkwardness with Raine was because she was the first woman you really loved?"  
  
"No...I mean no, you're not being presumptuous. And you're right about Raine. I dated women before that, but nothing serious. Even with Julia, we just never had a chance to get to that point. I admired her from afar for long enough, but we only actually had one night where we really talked and connected. I got transferred a few days after that and there were phone calls and letters, but then I lemminged off that cliff and that was it. I never really knew her, not like I knew Raine."  
  
"So when did you and Raine finally admit to each other how you felt?"  
  
"That's just it. In the end, we didn't have to. It was like we both decided at the same time to drop all the stupid, nervous crap and just be together. We just...came together naturally. That's how everything was with Raine after that - natural."  
  
"You two were on the same wavelength, huh?"  
  
"Yeah, we became one of those annoying couples that always finish each other sentences or can have entire conversation just by looking at each other. We always knew what the other one was thinking. It was harder than hell to surprise her. Got her pretty good when I gave her the ring though."   
  
"Engagement ring?"  
  
"Wedding and engagement. I was working a little by then - monster patrol with Kiros and the occasional article I managed to sell to a local magazine - but I wasn't exactly rolling in the dough so I found these simple wedding bands. Raine wouldn't have liked anything fancy anyway. She was way too down to earth to go in for a ton of gold and diamonds. She liked things simple. For her, it really was the thought that mattered. Anyway, one of the articles I wrote drew some attention and the magazine wanted me to do a follow up feature, but I had to go out of town for awhile to research it. So the night before I left, I took her to the field we used to go for picnics and stuff. She had this big, bulky sweater on but she was still complaining about how cold it was so a turned to her with the ring in my hand and asked her if she thought this might keep her warm. Gods, the look on her face...Then I showed that I already had mine on and she just sorta collapsed into my arms like the moment was too much for her. Then I looked into those eyes of hers...Hey, I'm the one who's reminiscing, why are you crying?"  
  
"I'm not. It's just...I mean, I know how everything turned out..."  
  
"Yeah. When I was gone, some men from Esthar came and took Ellone away. So when I came back, we only had a little time together before I left again to go after Ellone. I had no idea Raine was pregnant then."  
  
"Would you have stayed if you had known?"  
  
"I don't know. I really don't. When I found out she had died, I kept asking myself the same thing. What if I had stayed, what if I had taken her with me, what if I had come back sooner? Let me tell you something, Quistis. You cannot beat yourself to death with what ifs. They don't change a damn thing and they will drag you down."  
  
"Sounds like you speak from experience."  
  
"One of our old neighbors had taken in Squall for a little bit, but she couldn't afford to keep him. Turned out she knew Edea Kramer. She didn't have the orphanage that you grew up in yet, but she had a few kids already so she added Squall to the group."  
  
"You knew Edea had Squall?"  
  
"How do you think Ellone got from Esthar to Edea's orphanage? I was a wreck back then, Quistis. I blamed myself for everything that happened - a part of me still does - and I didn't think I was much good for anything. Ellone couldn't even bring me out my depression. To top it off, whatever Odine did to her in Esthar had done something to that power of hers and she was having problems with that. I didn't have a clue what to do. Ward and Kiros finally took over and tracked down Edea for me."  
  
"It didn't work out like they thought it would, did it."  
  
"No. When I saw Squall, he was about three months old. Edea was holding him and he had a bunch of her hair in his hand. That was all he was interested in, he wouldn't even look at me. Why would he? He knew Edea, he had no idea who I was."  
  
"So you thought he'd be better off with her."  
  
"I didn't know anything about kids. I could hardly take of myself then. He had already bonded with Edea. Believe me, I had a million reasons for it back then. When I saw how Edea was also helping Ellone with her power, that just sealed it for me."  
  
"Matron and Cid Kramer are wonderful people. My childhood memories are still a little hazy, but everything I do remember is warm and loving. They were very good to us."  
  
"I know. And thanks for trying to make me feel better about my choice, but I came to terms with that a long time ago. I know Ellone and Squall have had problems because of it, but whose to say what kind of life they would have had in Esthar? Like I said, you can't play what if. You gotta except the past and try to move on. Do I regret giving them up? Yeah, I do. But all I can do now is try to find a way to be part of Squall's life."  
  
"I'm sure Squall will let you in one day. If you could explain to him like you did to me, he might understand. Ellone obviously does."  
  
"Well, the few times I've talked to Squall, he didn't really seem angry or anything, just indifferent."  
  
"Hey, he didn't just get to know Raine during those trips to the past. He got to know you too."  
  
"And you think he liked what he saw."  
  
"I've been impressed so far."  
  
"You must think I'm being silly now, spilling my guts out to you"  
  
"Not really. When you were hitting on me, on the other hand..."  
  
"Look, I was just playing around with you. I thought we had a good rapport; I guess I got a little carried away."  
  
"I was going to say I didn't think you were being silly even then."  
  
"You're a surprising one, Quistis Trepe."  
  
"Do you like surprises?"  
  
"I've liked this one just fine. To think, I was planning on spending the evening hanging around a bunch of teenagers with a fake smile plastered on my face."  
  
"Heeey, that was how I planned on spending my evening."  
  
"Don't fit into that target demographic. You are mature for your age."  
  
"I would have said you're immature for yours, but you've shown me a whole different side of yourself."  
  
"Don't tell anyone, I have a reputation to uphold too."  
  
"You keep my secret, I'll keep yours."  
  
"Agreed. You know, Quistis, I really have enjoyed talking with you, dredging up the painful past included."  
  
"I'm glad you opened up to me. Everyone sees me as the serious instructor. People usually only come to me with physics problems."  
  
"Their loss. But, um, what do you know about political problems? Say there's this secluded city-state that wants to get reinvolved in world affairs..."  
  
  
Author's Notes -   
When I wrote the first part of The Exchange, I really had no intention of continuing it. But there seemed to be a (very small) demand to keep it going and hey, I'm a sucker for faint praise. I luuuv writing dialogue, so I'm considering retitling this story to Exchanges and keeping it going with conversations between other FF8 characters. Let me know what you think. Hell, I might even take requests.  
Hopefully, I managed to dig a little deeper into Laguna and Quistis. I'm not sure about them as a couple or anything, but they do seem to play well off each other, don't they?  



End file.
